Kilmarnock come to Celtic Park tomorrow on what is an historical run of form. One defeat (at Ibrox) in 12 games since early December, which includes their win over Celtic, has elevated Derek McInnes to a regard almost as high as their pies.
As we found to our cost in December, they are a very well organised outfit who know how to defend and who can break forward with purpose, but let’s not overplay the threat, they are not Brazil 1970. They have only won three league games since defeating Celtic, single goal victories against St Johnstone, St Mirren and Livingston.
They have opened a 10-point gap on better-resourced Hibs and Aberdeen, but it has been an exerting time for maxed-out squad. McInnes’s experience has elevated them beyond the normal scope of their resources.
After three consecutive away games a return to Celtic Park is welcome. That run of fixtures had a perilous look to it beforehand, so taking seven from nine points is not a shoddy return. I expect Adam Idah to start up front with Kyogo sitting behind as he did so effectively in Paisley.
Brendan Rodgers now has options in forward positions, so can confidently change things up if we are not making progress. We are likely to see four wingers deployed at stages across the game as he figures out who his preferred starting pair is.
217 Comments- Pages:
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
- »
Afternoon all, happy Friday
Statements are like bus’s.
Paul writes,
After three consecutive away games a return to Celtic Park is welcome. That run of fixtures had a perilous look to it beforehand, so taking seven from nine points is not a shoddy return. I expect Adam Idah to start up front with Kyogo sitting behind as he did so effectively in Paisley.
Brendan Rodgers now has options in forward positions, so can confidently change things up if we are not making progress. We are likely to see four wingers deployed at stages across the game as he figures out who his preferred starting pair is.
——–
Cannot disagree – however it is the back four that give cause for concern. We are always likely to lose a goal out of nothing……. wellalmost nothing, e.g. a long ball out of a defence that we have been hemming-in for forty-minutes, or a long throw, or. a corner, or a free-kick floated from midway inside our half.
That’s what will keep the nerves jangling as we look to retain our title.
Saturday, 9 March 2024 (Kick-off 12.15pm) – Aberdeen v Kilmarnock | Live on BBC One Scotland
Sunday 10 March 2024 (Kick-off 2.30pm) – Celtic v Livingston | Live on Viaplay
Sunday 10 March 2024 (Kick-off 5.30pm) – Hibernian v Rangers | Live on Viaplay
Monday, 11 March 2024 (Kick-off 7.45pm) – Greenock Morton v Heart of Midlothian | Live on BBC Scotland
I like “Grace”.
A simple Irish song about love outlasting the cruelty and injustice of imperialism.
With not a snarl or call to arms in sight.
I suspect (but cannot possibly know) our founder would have liked it too.
🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔
AN TEARMANN on 16TH FEBRUARY 2024 12:14 PM
https://twitter.com/JungleLion_/status/1758438891730698281?s=19
Ah Timbhoy163,down to you sir.
I will be beltin it out as a meagre show of support for the innocent men,woman and thousands of children murdered.
Hope yir tellys working well
You can practice it,much better than shoutin at the telly
As we gather in the chapel here in old Kilmainham Gaol
I think about these past few weeks, oh, will they say we’ve failed?
From our school days, they have told us we must yearn for liberty
Yet, all I want in this dark place is to have you here with me
Oh, Grace, just hold me in your arms and let this moment linger
They’ll take me out at dawn and I will die
With all my love, I place this wedding ring upon your finger
There won’t be time to share our love for we must say goodbye
Now, I know it’s hard for you, my love, to ever understand
The love I bear for these brave men, my love for this dear land
But when Padraig called me to his side down in the G.P.O.
I had to leave my own sick bed, to him I had to go
Oh, Grace, just hold me in your arms and let this moment linger
They’ll take me out at dawn and I will die
With all my love, I place this wedding ring upon your finger
There won’t be time to share our love for we must say goodbye
Now, as the dawn is breaking, my heart is breaking, too
On this May morn’, as I walk out, my thoughts will be of you
And I’ll write some words upon the wall so everyone will know
I loved so much that I could see his blood upon the rose
Oh, Grace, just hold me in your arms and let this moment linger
They’ll take me out at dawn, now I must die
With all my love, I’ll place this wedding ring upon your finger
There won’t be time to share our love for we must say goodbye
Ah, there won’t be time to share our love so we must say goodbye.
Hail Hail
Grace followed by The SAM song.
Set the correct tone for the following 90minutes.
Grace jim Mc Cann
https://youtu.be/_5UhRcpyLyc?si=maECzp6hIp70bc0o
HH
Livingston v Rangers (12/11/23): VAR should have recommended an on-field review after Rangers’ Ross McCausland was awarded a penalty. Decision should then been to not award the penalty
Rangers v Dundee (09/12/23): VAR should not have recommended an on-field review for a penalty after a foul on Rangers’ Abdallah Sima. On-field decision of no penalty should have stood.
Rangers v Dundee (09/12/23): VAR should not have recommended an on-field review after Rangers’ Jose Cifuentes was awarded a yellow card. On-field decision of yellow card should have stood.
Celtic v Rangers (30/12/23): VAR should have recommended an on-field review for a potential penalty for a handball offence by Celtic’s Alastair Johnston. Panel noted an offside in the build-up so decision should have remained to not award the penalty.
Bada 12.16
Have you heard any word on when sale to non HTS season ticket holders is happening?
Askin for mate in Galway
HH
Sevco v Celtic Sunday 7 April midday KO
AT- Will look about 👍
Calling ParkheadcumSalford
What were to 2 away fixtures you were looking for?
Can you recall a time period roughly?
Who we played?
I got back my 125 results book so should be ok to look up for you.
Hail Hail
Apart from the 1st team please no other teams to use the park. Its looking jaded so hope repairs in the last three weeks have gone well.
The performance and score line tomorrow will be telling.
We are now at the “business end” of the season, neck-and-neck with the huns on points and have a one goal advantage.
Every point, goal for and goal against is crucial.
A thumping win against a team who have beaten us twice will be great for morale and send a clear message.
Not sure I’d be reading too much into last week’s game – an opponent trying to win the game and the early goal gave us space we won’t have tomorrow.
I’d go with Kyogo up front and three in the middle against what will be an – ahem – “solid” opposition midfield.
As usual with McInnes teams – need to be fully alert at set-pieces.
High tempo, good movement and stretch their defence to open up spaces and we should win fairly comfortably.
FAO Yogi Hughes:
The Bothy Band: Traditional music’s most influential group blaze back after four decades
https://www.irishtimes.com/culture/music/2024/02/10/the-bothy-band-traditional-musics-most-influential-group-blaze-back-after-four-decades/
Might be behind a paywall.
Almore,
Thanks.
“As we found to our cost in December, they are a very well organised outfit who know how to defend and who can break forward with purpose”
The league table has Killie pretty much on a par with St. Mirren – but with a more uneven feel to their performances (better at home and worse away, St Mirren more even in this regard). Despite this I still have a nagging feeling that this game will be tougher than the last two away games against Saints regardless of the above.
I am still concerned with the recent change in shape / approach especially as I think in the more recent away game against the same opposition (with Kyogo over Bernardo) we gave away more a little more possession and notably more chances to the opposition whilst not creating a great deal more ourselves.
Whilst we insist on playing wingers who wont beat a man and hit the line to pull the ball back I still feel a 3-5-2 would be a better approach, certainly to home games as it can switch to a 2-3-5 in possession but I am hoping whatever BR goes with works.
If it doesn’t work in the regulation 90 at least we are safe in the knowledge now that we may be able to rely on 15 minutes of stoppage time as this seems the new norm even when there are few VAR/substitution breaks in play so hopefully over the 105 minutes we will prevail!
Back to work I go, after failing to get my son (who loves to join in any signing at CP) interested in listening to Grace as “It’s not a Celtic song” so he will “just wait to join in with Fields etc.” ?!
QB
ALMORE/YOGI
https://archive.ph/YhvHV
No paywall
HH
An Tearmann,
Thanks.
Paul67 et al
Unless the rules have been changed you don’t get points for winning a Scottish Cup tie over in Paisley….
G Fearon @ 12:36
Grace followed by The SAM song.
Set the correct tone
——-
A quite ridiculous conflation (IMHO).
“as he figures out who his preferred starting pair is.”…ouch
Brendan said Abada could leave, think he’s played his last game
Abada not being in the right frame of mind has nothing to do with the Celtic support as the media like to hint at. Maybe they should consider the fact that his country is committing atrocity after atrocity whilst the world looks on as says nothing.
https://cdn.celtsarehere.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/2022-10-11t190250z_1519354918_up1eiab1gwp9y_rtrmadp_3_soccer-champions-cel-rbl-report-1-1920×1258.jpg
Brendan Presser today
https://youtu.be/gDBaUyX2myM?si=Kn9HplPG1qsgekNP
HH
Driving a player out of your club because you don’t like the country he comes from is not a good look.
A Club open to all (so long as you agree with our politics).
Tony Ralston on presser duties
https://youtu.be/KD2IaQA0L_Y?si=tY0uYJTcrt4GGjBP
HH
THE BLOGGER FORMERLY KNOWN AS GM on 16TH FEBRUARY 2024 3:36 PM
Driving a player out of your club because you don’t like the country he comes from is not a good look.
A Club open to all (so long as you agree with our politics).
Who is driving him out of our club?
Back to Basics – Glass Half Full on 16th February 2024 2:47 pm
Why does this not surprise me. . .. . . #snigger
I’ll let you get back to your cold bovril.
The Blogger Formerly Known As GM on 16th February 2024 3:36 pm
Afraid it’s time to call the hyperbole police . . . . . .. again. .
https://youtu.be/gDBaUyX2myM?si=Vt6xuIbJ-k9w-eat
BR presser
The stat guys will tell you that our defending is a major concern, we’re conceding twice the xg we did last season.
BR will point to the absence of the rock solid CB pairing on which Ange built two league wins on and say we didn’t replace Starfelt with like for like quality and CCV has picked several injuries up despite almost going almost two full seasons without absence under Ange.
While Kyogo did look better playing behind Idah, the absence of Bernardo does leave us much more open for counter attacks.
I don’t see us playing a two man midfield at Tynecastle or Ibrox so I’d like to see Bernardo getting back to his Christmas form asap.
Getting Kyogo and Idah on the pitch while shoring up the back is the task that BR now has to go about completing.
I can see why Liel Abada is apparently not in the correct frame of mind to participate in sport.
If i was an israeli i don’t think I’d be too keen to be showing my face in public either.
This is the main reason that the surname switcheroo is so popular among these people.
THE BLOGGER FORMERLY KNOWN AS GM on 16TH FEBRUARY 2024 3:36 PM
Waiting for you to reveal who the bad guys are?
Look above